Skip to main content

Growing Garden Cress

Image
By

Growing garden cress organically in home garden can be an excellent way for enjoying this peppery taste vegetable. Garden cress is actually a cold season crop and it can be added to many dishes like salads and soups. It is grown commercially in England, France, Scandinavia and the Netherlands.

Garden cress (Lepidum sativum) is also called simply as cress. But mainly called 'garden cress' to distinguish it from similar plants that are also referred to as 'cress'. Garden cress is very fast-growing edible herb and it is genetically related to watercress and mustard (sharing their peppery, tangy flavor and aroma).

Garden cress is also known by many other names in many different places. It's other names include pepper grass, poor man's pepper, pepperwort, mustard and cress, garden pepper cress etc. The plants can reach a height of about 2 ft, with many branches on the upper part.

Garden cress is actually a very high-nutrient food containing substantial content of vitamins A, C and K, especially when consumed raw. And it also contain several dietary minerals. Raw cress is less than 1% fat, 3% protein, 6% carbohydrates and 89% water. However, organic garden cress farming in your home garden can be an excellent way for enjoying this vegetable.

How to Start Growing Garden Cress

Growing garden cress is not too difficult. You can actually start growing garden cress in your home garden easily. The plants are very fast growing and the edible shoots are generally harvested within 1-2 weeks after planting. However, here we are describing everything about growing garden cress organically in home garden.

Select the Location

Select a sunny location for growing garden cress in your home garden. Although the garden cress plants will also grow well in cool and shady areas. Actually a shady area will be more suitable for growing garden cress than a full sunny area.

Prepare the Soil

After selecting the site, you have to prepare the soil for growing garden cress. The plants grow very fast, so they will require loose and well-drained soil which is rich in organic materials. So add adequate organic fertilizers such as well-rotted aged manure or homemade compost while preparing the soil for growing garden cress.

garden cress, how to grow garden cress, growing garden cress, growing garden cress organically, growing garden cress in home garden, growing garden cress organically in home garden, how to start growing garden cress, tips for growing garden cress, guide for growing garden cress

Collect/Purchase Seeds

The garden cress plants are grown from seeds. The seeds are easily available in the market. You can also collect the seeds from your friends or any of your nearest home gardeners.

Best Time for Growing Garden Cress

Cool season is ideal for growing garden cress. You can start growing garden cress between 1 and 2 weeks before the average last frost.

Planting the Seeds

As we have mentioned above, garden cress plants are grown from seeds. Sowing the seeds in rows will be very good for caring, so try to sow the seeds in rows. Sow seeds about 1/2 inch deep and space about 1 inch apart. And the rows should be at least 6 inches apart.

While sowing the seeds, you can also place a line of seeds along prepared rows and cover with soil lightly. Keep the soil moist constantly and the seeds will germinate within 5 to 15 days. For having continuous harvest, repeat the planting after every 10-14 days.

Caring

Garden cress plants don't require much care for better growth. They will do just fine as long as the soil is moist and the weather is favorable. Although taking additional care will be very good for the growth of the garden cress plants. Here we are describing more about the common caring steps for growing garden cress in home garden.

Fertilizing: Garden cress plants don't require additional fertilization if you have already prepared the soil by adding organic materials. Although you can use liquid fertilizers once after every two weeks.

Watering: Garden cress plants require constantly moist soil for better growth. So water the plants regularly.

Mulching and Controlling Weeds: Weeds create some real problem for growing garden cress plants. They will consume most of the nutrients from the soil and your garden cress plants will suffer. So control the weeds either by hands or by using a hoe. Mulching can help for controlling weeds from your garden. And mulching will also help to retain moisture into the soil. Use organic materials for mulching. Straw, hay, grass clippings, homemade compost or shredded newspaper will be good for using as mulch.

Thinning: The garden cress plants will not grow well if they are overcrowded. So, thin the seedlings to about 2 inches apart when they are about 1/2 inch tall.

Pests and Diseases

The garden cress plants have no serious pest or diseases issues. They are almost free from all these.

Harvesting

For harvesting, simply cut or pinch the tips of the cress. You can start harvesting when the plants grow to about 3 to 4 inches tall. And the plants will regrow quickly if you cut the plant back to 1/2 inch. Cress generally tastes best during it's early seed-leaf stage. So you should try to cut and eat the cress before it matures.

These are the common ways for organic garden cress farming in home garden. Hope you have enjoyed this guide! Happy gardening :)

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Murray Grey Cattle

By
The Murray Grey cattle are a breed of beef cattle from Australia. It was developed in the upper Murray River valley on the New South Wales. The breed was developed in 1905 from an initial chance mating of a black Aberdeen Angus bull and a roan Shorthorn cow during the Federation drought. From these matings the resulting thirteen dun-grey calves were kept as curiosities. And then Peter and Ena Sutherland bred them on the Thologolong property along the Murray River in New South Wales. Murray Grey cattle grew faster and were good converters of feed and produced quality carcases. These are the reasons this animals become very popular after their development. And local farmers became interested soon in these animals and began breeding them. The first large scale commercial farms were established in the 1940s. Today the breed is available in many countries. Both live Murray Grey cattle and embryos have been exported to many countries such as Canada, South America, New Ze...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sorting Cattle

By
Sorting cattle is important if you have a large number of animals. For better management you will need to separate the animals into different groups depending on their age, size, gender or condition score. If some cattle of your herd need to be examined by a veterinarian or confined due to injury or illness, then separation may also need to be done. Sorting is also needed for separating the calves that need to be weaned from their mothers. And separating the bulls is also necessary after they have done their duty with breeding cows. Sorting Cattle Sorting cattle is not actually a difficult task. It can be done easily if you understand stockmanship principles that take advantage of bovine psychology and behavior. However, here we are describing more about the ways of sorting cattle. Sorting From a Squeeze Chute In this system you can move your cattle through a working corral into a chute system into the squeeze. In this system you can check and process animals f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Andalusian Black Cattle Farming

By
Andalusian Black cattle farming is not too popular, even in it's native area. It is a relatively rare breed which is valued for meat production. But today, the breed is listed as 'endangered', and total number of the breed is very less. The Andalusian Black cattle is a taurine cattle breed, and it was originated in west Andalusia, Spain. It is also known by some other names such as Negra de las Campiñas, Negra Campiñesa and Spanish: Negra Andaluza. The Andalusian Black cattle is actually a beef cattle breed which is raised primarily for meat production purpose. The breed is found in two main areas of west Andalusia (from Cordova to the foothills of the Sierra Morena), and in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz and Huelva. Today, total population of the Andalusian Black cattle breed is very less. And there were about 800 purebred cattle in the year of 2007. Total number of this breed decreased mainly for crossbreeding with other local cattle breeds. Other reason...
Post a Comment
Read more

Belted Galloway Cattle Farming

By
Belted Galloway cattle farming is popular, especially in it's native area. It is a beef cattle breed and raised mainly for meat production purpose. The breed is also known by some other names such as Beltie, Oreo Cow and Panda Cow. The Belted Galloway cattle breed was originated from Galloway in the west side of Southern Scotland. It is a heritage breed, and is well adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and wildswept moorlands of the region. Exact origins of the breed are unclear. But it is often surmised that the white belt of the breed may be a result of cross breeding with the Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle. And the breed is named so mainly because of the belt. An association for the breed named the Belted Galloway Association was formed in 1921 in Scotland. And the name of the association was changed to Belted Galloway Society in the year of 1951. The association keeps and records pedigrees for Belted Galloways and oversees the registration of White and Re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cleaning A Cow

By
Cleaning a cow in the proper way can keep the animal look and feel fresh. Cleaning also help to prevent external parasites. You may also need to clean your cow to show it off at your local county fair or other occasions. And you need to clean your cows more often especially if you have dairy cows. You can integrate a spraying system for cleaning a cow once a day or so. Along with cleaning the body, you should also provide a footbath for better health of the cow's hooves. However, here we are describing more about the process of cleaning a cow. Sprinkler System Add Sprinkler in a Pre-milking Wash Pen You can construct a pre-milking wash pen with sprinklers for cleaning multiple cows. In this system, install sprinklers all along the pen you hold the cows in before milking. Using concrete for the floor will be good. It will help to keep the floor dry quickly and you will not have a constantly muddy area. You should spray sprinklers both up and down to wash the cows th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Agerolese Cattle Farming

By
Agerolese cattle farming is not common, even in it's native area. It is a dairy cattle breed which is raised mainly for milk production purpose in it's native area. It is a pretty rare breed and not available outside it's native area. The Agerolese cattle is actually from the area of Agerola, in Campania in southern Italy. It was developed from cross-breeding of indigenous Podolica cattle with Bruna Italiana, Italian Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle. The breed is particularly associated with the Sorrento Peninsula and Monti Lattari. The Agerolese cattle is one of the 16 minor Italian cattle breeds of limited diffusion recognized and protected by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. There were a total of 200 animals available according to a census completed on 1 January 2002. And the conservation status of the Agerolese cattle breed was reported by the FAO as 'endangered-maintained' in 200...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ankole-Watusi Cattle Farming

By
Ankole-Watusi cattle farming is pretty popular, especially in it's native area. It is a multi-purpose breed of domestic cattle which is raised and valued for show, draught, meat and milk production purpose. The Ankole-Watusi cattle is a landrace breed, a type of Sanga cattle and originally native to East Africa. It is also known as Ankole Longhorn, and also sometimes known simply as Ankole or Watusi. Ankole-Watusi cattle is actually an ancient breed, and ancient rock paintings and depictions of these animals have been observed in the Sahara region and in the Egyptian arts and pyramid walls. The Sanga breed has spread to the Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and some other parts of Eastern Africa, becoming the base stock of the indigenous African cattle populations. It has most of the usual Zebu characteristics such as the pendulous dewlap and sheath, hump of variable size and the upturned horns. The Ankole-Watusi cattle have played a very important role in the lives of various ...
Post a Comment
Read more